Leave it to Mississippi Records to unleash this torrent of quiet gentle beauty.
From the liner notes (from Pärt):
“You can kill people with sound. And if you can kill, then maybe there is also the sound that is opposite of killing. And the distance between these two points is very big. And you are free—you can choose. In art everything is possible, but everything is not necessary.”
The performers: Alexei Lubimov (piano tracks A1, A3), Angela Yoffe (piano tracks A2, A4), Jurgen Kruse (piano tracks B1 to B3), Sebastian Klinger (cello tracks B1, B3), Vadim Gluzman (violin tracks A2, A4).
I’d imagine most if not all readers know the music of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Of all the genres associated with his music, my favorite is mystic(al) minimalism because that’s how this music affects me. I had the great pleasure of attending The Hilliard Ensemble’s NY premier of Pärt’s Passio at Lincoln Center way back in 1990 and it ranks among my most cherished music-related memories.
I also imagine most readers know Mississippi Records (if you don’t, you do), a label known for releasing unheard gems including Souvenirs by Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru and What Are They Doing in Heaven Today? by Washington Phillips. To name just 2 of many (many).
Arvo Pärt’s Für Alina, released back in March, is nourishment for the heart and soul.
